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For the first time in Israel: the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Municipality of Haifa are establishing a zone with reduced emissions from transportation in the city of Haifa; More than NIS 22 million will be invested in the project
The "Entry of polluting vehicles is prohibited in Haifa" program, led by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Municipality of Haifa, through the "Yefa Nof" company, is underway. In this framework, Haifa is the first city in Israel where a reduced emissions zone will be established - an important part of the plan to reduce air pollution in Haifa Bay from all sources of pollution, including vehicles. The reduced emissions zone in Haifa will encompass all the residential neighborhoods, and the budget for its operation is about NIS 11 million.
In order to help the owners of the polluting vehicles to purchase particle filters and thereby reduce the air pollution from their vehicles, the Ministry of Environmental Protection will participate in financing the installation of particle filters in the amount of approximately NIS 11 million, which should be sufficient for approximately 700 installations. The subsidized filters will be installed in licensed garages in the Haifa district that won a tender from the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The implementation of the project will lead to a reduction of more than 20% of traffic pollution in the city
The program will begin on February 1, 2018, and the public information campaign went live today (Sun., November 26.11). The public notification procedure includes notices sent to approximately 23 owners of polluting vehicles that will be prohibited from entering the city in accordance with Phase A; A dedicated website and a call center (*2491) where drivers can get all the information on the subject. A heavy vehicle owner who would like to know if his vehicle is in the category of polluting vehicles can enter his vehicle's license number on the website and receive the details immediately.
The OECD report for 2015 shows that exposure to air pollution in Israel causes 2,220 premature deaths each year. According to these estimates, about 50% of these deaths are caused by exposure to air pollution from transportation sources. The problem of air pollution from vehicles is not unique to Israel and characterizes densely populated areas in most countries in the world.
One of the most common and effective solutions in the world to the problem of air pollution in city centers is the activation of "Low Emission Zones" where there are restrictions on the movement of polluting vehicles. In Europe, for example, there are currently about 220 emission reduction zones operating in 14 countries, about 70 of these zones operate in Germany alone.
MK, the Minister of Environmental Protection:
"Haifa Municipality is becoming the first city in Israel that will not allow polluting diesel vehicles to enter its territory, as is done in the advanced cities of the world. Exposure to air pollution in Israel causes 2,220 premature deaths each year, half of them from transportation, and programs of this type significantly reduce these numbers. We were able to obtain a budget for the expansion The plan for Kiryat and these days we are in contact with the mayors in the region. I call on other cities in Israel to adopt a similar policy and improve the air quality in their cities and the health of their residents."
Yona Yahav, Mayor of Haifa:
"Haifa is undergoing a broad and comprehensive environmental revolution. The plan to install filters in polluting vehicles is an example of one of the environmental projects that we have initiated and promoted in the past year, in order to improve the quality of life of the residents of Haifa. This plan joins the project of converting the diesel trucks of the Haifa Municipality to natural gas powered trucks, to the project The first electric cooperative vehicle in Israel, for the establishment of Mord Kishon Park, and a variety of other programs, which will dramatically reduce the level of air pollution in the city.
MK Yaron Mazuz, Deputy Minister for Environmental Protection:
"As a native of Haifa and a resident of Kiryat, I welcome the 'Clean Air Zone' program that will soon come into effect. For some time I have been claiming that Haifa is finally undergoing a real environmental revolution, and the restriction on the entry of polluting diesel vehicles into the city is definitely a precedent. Haifa will thus become the first city in Israel with a 'clean air zone' and will join hundreds of such cities in the world, and as the ministry has engraved on its flag, we will continue to reduce pollution from transportation in Haifa Bay.
The project will be promoted in Haifa in two stages:
first step - As of February 2018, the entry and parking of polluting vehicles with a total weight of over 3.5 tons will be prohibited, unless a particle filter has been installed to reduce air pollution.
second level - As of January 2019, the entry and parking of polluting vehicles with a total weight of less than 3.5 tons that have not installed a particle filter, which are taxis or commercial vehicles, will also be prohibited.
According to the definition of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, a "polluting vehicle" is a non-private vehicle that is powered by diesel, and does not meet the Euro 4 standard.
Other authorities in Israel are interested in promoting similar arrangements in their territory to reduce air pollution and the well-being of residents, including the Jerusalem Municipality, which is promoting a "reduced emissions zone" which is also expected to be operational as soon as next year.
Additional projects to reduce air pollution from vehicles in the city of Haifa that are coming to a close these months are the project to operate an electric car sharing system (in cooperation with the National Fund for Israel), which numbers 100 vehicles, each vehicle is expected to replace between 7 and 14 private vehicles on the city's roads . The array is already operating almost fully, and it is supported in the amount of NIS 4.6 million.
Also, the Ministry of Environmental Protection supports the renewal of the municipal truck fleet and its operation with 25 trucks powered by natural gas and another 11 trucks that are equipped with a particle filter. This project, amounting to NIS 11 million, is expected to be completed during the first half of 2018.
To the program website:
http://avirnaki.yefenof.co.il/
The letter sent to the owners of the polluting vehicles
